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The first time Jiseok saw her was in the park.
She’d been out with her friends, trying to show Jooyeon a new trick she’d learned on the skateboard, when she walked past them.
She had been wearing headphones, holding a book to her chest, guitar case clinking with various trinkets as she made her way through the park, face looking down at the path ahead.
Her hair had been dark, long, a few small braids standing out and flowing through the air.
Jiseok had stopped mid-trick, ignoring Jooyeon’s complaints and staring after the girl. Her mouth had gaped, feeling a warm flutter erupt in her stomach as she watched the girl walk away, long skirt flowing around her ankles.
“Jiseok, what the hell? We were just about to get- Jiseok? Hello?” Jooyeon snapped her fingers in front of Jiseok’s nose, snapping her out of it.
“What? Oh, yeah, sorry.” She crouched down to grab her skateboard, eyes searching one last time for the silhouette of the girl that was getting smaller in the distance, before turning around to her friend, who raised a judgemental eyebrow.
“What the hell was that?” Jiseok shrugged, punching Jooyeon in the shoulder and hopping on her skateboard to skate back to their other friends, but the girl never left her mind.
Jiseok didn’t know why she’d been that captivated back then. After all, she had barely seen the other’s face but something about her clothes, her silhouette, it drove Jiseok crazy.
“It was the guitar case.” She said, pointedly staring at her friend who took a judgemental bite of her sandwich.
“Sure it was.” Jiseok whined, pushing her friend’s shoulder at her doubting tone, Jooyeon falling back on the warm concrete of the skatepark, sandwich still in hand. She decided to stay down, munching on her food as she gazed up at the clouds.
“You can just admit you thought she was cute, you know that? No shame in that.” Jiseok groaned, throwing her friend a glare.
“That’s not it though! I was just surprised why she was even carrying the case, I mean, those snobby private schoolers play something other than violin and piano? Unbelievable. That’s all.” Jooyeon didn’t reply to that. After a few minutes, she opened her mouth, still chewing on her sandwich.
“...you know we’re also snobby private schoolers? We’re at the same college.” Jiseok groaned and pushed Jooyeon again, turning back to observe the people currently skating.
“Don’t say it out loud! You know what I mean. We’re not like them, we’re like-“ she gestured something with her hands, not sure what she wanted to say.
“We’re losers?” Jooyeon supplied helpfully, getting another glare from Jiseok.
“What? No! I mean, we’re- you know, we don’t fit in. With them.” She jerked her head in the direction of a few students sitting on a picnic blanket, a little away from the skatepark. They were probably crocheting, or discussing philosophy, or whatever snobby rich people did.
“Okay and? You’re still allowed to think they’re attractive. You don’t even know what I would do if I got the chance to smash Seungmin, I-“
Jiseok rolled her eyes, clasping a hand over her friend’s mouth before she went on another rant about the most popular girl at their college. She was cute sure, but not Jiseok’s type.
She preferred... quieter types, someone who would listen to her yap about physics, someone she could play guitar to...
...or with. Her mind trailed back to the girl from a few days ago, and she sighed.
Jiseok hadn’t seen her since then, but her image was as clear as day in her mind. Her sharp nose, her tousled black hair, the small bunny keychain hanging from her guitar case swinging with her steps. Jiseok wished she’d seen her face for more than just a second, but she only noticed her as she went past Jiseok, making her barely catch the other’s profile.
“Hey. Hey!” Jooyeon pushed her shoulder, snapping her out of her day dreams and pointed at the students on the picnic blanket.
“Isn’t that her??” Jiseok snapped her head around, squinting her eyes to take a closer look at them, eyes widening when she saw a familiar head of wavy black hair.
She was sat with her back to Jiseok, her hair falling over her shoulders in messy waves before ending in a loose braid. Jiseok watched the way it glinted in the sunlight, a fond smile creeping up on her face without her noticing.
The girl was wearing a dark cardigan, some embroidery decorating its edges and she seemed to be wearing another long skirt, as her legs were hidden beneath a plane of fabric, only her socks peeking out, patterned with cat faces and cucumbers.
She seemed to be talking to the girl next to her, but they were too far away for Jiseok to hear her voice.
“Just so you know, you’re very obviously staring.” Jiseok side eyed Jooyeon who was next to her in the same position, eyes fixated on another person on the blanket.
“And you’re not?” She bit back, Jooyeon slowly shaking her head, eyes never leaving the blonde bob of the person sitting next to Jiseok’s cr- uhm, the black haired girl.
“Do you think that’s Seungmin?” She whispered to Jooyeon, not sure why she felt like she had to be quiet, given how openly they were looking at the group.
“I know that’s Seungmin. You see those biceps? I’ve dreamed of them enough to recognize them.” Jiseok threw Jooyeon a disgusted look before turning back to the girl, raking her neck to maybe get a better view of her face.
She was still talking to Seungmin, as Jiseok now knew, but they weren’t turning around. She sighed, about to give up when Seungmin poked the girl in the shoulder and nodded her head once, grin revealing her teeth.
Then suddenly, the girl turned around, looking straight in their direction and before Jiseok had the chance to turn away, their eyes met.
The other was... beautiful, for a lack of better word. Jiseok breathed in sharply, unable to take her eyes off the soft face observing her, the slightly downturned eyes that were wide and attentive never leaving Jiseok’s. Her mouth was slightly opened, revealing white teeth hidden behind pink lips, and there was the slightest hint of redness dusting her face. Her bangs were adorably messy, probably messed up from the strong wind earlier that day and she was- breathtaking.
Jiseok was probably gaping for a good minute, before she realized they had in fact, been caught staring like absolute losers and so she ducked her head down in horror, grabbing Jooyeon’s neck to push her down too, out of the picnic group’s field of view.
“They turned around.” She whisper yelled at her friend who was in a similar state, eyes wide and too shocked to talk, which was very unusual for her.
They both sat there, not moving for god knows how long, until Jooyeon groaned and straightened up, pushing Jiseok’s hand away from her neck.
“It hurts to sit like this.” Jiseok was about to yell at her to ask if she was insane, until Jooyeon visibly relaxed and pointed in that forsaken direction.
“Oh. They left.”
“What?” Jiseok popped her head back up too to check and sure enough, the picnic blanket was gone and its users as well, leaving the spot empty.
Jiseok didn’t know why she was disappointed.
After that disastrous day, the girl wouldn’t leave Jiseok alone.
...alright, figuratively. She didn’t talk to Jiseok or anything, but for some reason, Jiseok now saw her everywhere. At the library she would be sat near where Jiseok usually liked to study, headphones over her ears and writing down things, Jiseok hightailing it out of there before she could look up and see her. At Jiseok’s go to café, she was waiting in line, studying the menu with a pout and Jiseok left the shop the second she entered, waiting next to the glass windows so she wouldn’t be seen, people on the sidewalk giving her weird looks.
She even attended one of Jiseok’s classes, apparently. Jiseok was unusually early for once, pushing her pencil around on her desk and tapping it to her music, waiting for Jooyeon to show up so she could take a nap on the other, when a shadow walked past her, Jiseok barely catching the flowy jacket of the person before they vanished from her field of vision. She turned her head and saw the girl turn to walk past Jiseok to chairs behind her, breath caught in her throat. She was wearing her headphones again, one hand pushing her hair back. It was as wavy and shiny as always, falling around her face and obscuring it a little. She had nail polish on her hands, but it was already chipped, which Jiseok thought was kind of cute.
She looked a little tired, which made sense given this was an 8AM class. Jiseok stared. She smiled unconsciously, noticing the girl was wearing this one beautiful glossy lip tint again, before her eyes traveled back up. Her eyes were dark and shiny, the faintest eyeliner making them look very pretty, and they were also staring directly at Jiseok.
Feeling her face erupt in flames, Jiseok immediately looked down at her desk, not moving a centimetre until she noticed the silhouette in her peripheral vision moving and at last disappearing, sighing and letting her head fall onto the desk.
And today, in front of the school where Jiseok usually hung out with her friends and smoked (well, they did. Last time she tried, she coughed for ten minutes while Jooyeon cried of laughter), she saw her standing, looking at her phone, hand clutching that guitar case again. She was wearing a dark blouse today, the ruffles falling around her arms nicely, a plait skirt falling over her legs enveloped in baggy jeans, hair put half up in a messy bun. Her lips were slightly pouty as she tipped away on her phone, the red tint on them making Jiseok dizzy. She snapped herself out of her daydream, turning back to her friends.
Still her mind was on the girl and she frowned. Why was she carrying that guitar case around all the time? There was no way a girl like her actually played.
“What’s up?” Jungsu, one of her friends, noticed her frown and blew some smoke into her face playfully, making Jiseok cough and fan her hand to get it away.
“Something on your mind? You’ve been zoned out for the last few minutes.” Jiseok shrugged in reply, mumbling something until Jooyeon interrupted her, excited as always.
“Okay, short version is we’re planning on going to this band’s gig tonight, you coming or nah?” Jiseok raised an eyebrow, slightly offended they even asked her.
“What? Of course, you know I-“ before she could finish her sentence, a voice sounded from behind her.
“Hey, you guys got a lighter? I forgot mine at home.” Jiseok turned around, not recognizing the voice before freezing as she saw none other than Oh Seungmin standing before her, cigarette in hand and friendly smile on her face. And behind her, a bit to the side, was-
“Uhm.” Jiseok said dumbly, looking back and forth between Seungmin who blinked expectantly, to the girl next to her who was looking at the floor, studying the moss on the stones or something.
“I don’t smoke.” She managed to get out, Seungmin’s smile turning confused and she cocked her head a bit. Before Jiseok could have the chance to be a good friend and refer her to Jooyeon, said girl already stumbled to Jiseok’s side, lighter in hand.
“I do! I mean, uh, you can have mine. If you want.” Seungmin was a little startled at Jooyeon’s sudden appearance but she laughed at the other’s eagerness, taking a step forward and getting the lighter from her hands with a grin.
“Thank you!” Jooyeon nodded, blinking dumbly and watching as Seungmin slowly lit her cigarette, her manicured fingers making the entire process look oddly aesthetic.
Jiseok meanwhile hadn’t dared to look back at the other girl, although they were basically standing next to each other due to Seungmin having stepped closer. She dared a peek at the girl, immediately turning away when she found her staring intently at Jiseok, cheeks reddening. She closed her eyes and internally counted to three, opening her eyes and turning around, mouth opening.
“H-“
“Alright, thanks, see you around!” Seungmin waved good-bye to the group, Jooyeon still standing frozen, lighter in her hand in the same position as when she gave it to the other. Jungsu turned away because she probably burst into laughter, and Seungmin was walking away, the other girl’s hand in hers. Jiseok clamped her mouth shut, feeling her face get even redder. The girl was looking over her shoulder back at Jiseok and when she saw her turn into a tomato, she let out an airy laugh, smiling at Jiseok before turning around and walking away with Seungmin.
Jiseok was staring at the ground, her cheeks burning in embarrassment.
Wow, the other had a beautiful smile.
“I’m telling you, she likes me!” Jiseok rolled her eyes for the nth time that evening, choosing to sip on her drink instead of paying any attention to Jooyeon. The latter had been conspiring over Seungmin’s motives and intentions for the last hour, having come to the horribly wrong conclusion that Seungmin must’ve asked for the lighter because she liked her and wanted to talk to her.
“Okay if she likes you so much, why not go talk to her?” Jiseok replied in annoyance, Jooyeon’s eyes widening and mouth gaping at the horrendous suggestion.
“What?! Absolutely not, are you insane?” Jiseok was too tired to question her friend’s logic so she just sighed, instead letting her mind wander back to the other girl that had been with Seungmin that day.
She still hadn’t gotten her name, unfortunately. All she knew was that she also didn’t smoke (maybe?), she went to her school, she played the guitar (unconfirmed), and she had the prettiest smile and cutest bunny teeth Jiseok had ever seen.
In conclusion: Jiseok was losing her mind over a girl whose name she didn’t even know. She winced, hitting herself internally. She should get it together. If she was even thinking about this girl during a band gig, which was usually her favourite past time, she was too far gone.
Speaking of-
“When’s the band coming on?” She asked Jooyeon who shrugged, downing her drink before standing up with determination burning in her eyes.
“I’ll just go ask, I know the manager here anyway. Maybe they’ll let me backstage.” She grinned as she formed her plan, and all that was missing was her rubbing her hands together like a cartoon villain.
“Maybe I’ll get to see their instruments up close. Maybe they’ll let me touch the bass. Maybe...” Her voice got quieter as she walked away, the alcohol in her drink already having an effect on her. Jiseok looked after her before focusing back on her drink, chuckling as she lifted it to take a sip.
“You play guitar too, right?” She didn’t recognise the voice, peeking to the side with the glass still on her lips, eyes widening as they made out soft, black hair falling in waves over shoulders clad in a dark cardigan, down turned eyes looking at Jiseok in curiosity, bunny teeth peeking out from in-between pink lips.
She choked on her drink, setting the glass down and coughing, feeling her face turn red from embarrassment (and lack of air). The person next to her flinched back, eyes wide as she watched Jiseok cough and groan, not sure what to do.
Jiseok ended up hitting herself on the back a few times (which always looked extremely uncool) and her coughing finally died down, making her turn to face the person next to her, trying her best to smile.
“Sorry, can you repeat that?” The girl who had talked to her smiled back, relief and confusion mixing on her face as she waved shyly at Jiseok.
“Hi...I asked if you play the guitar, too.” Her voice was incredibly soft, quiet but confident and Jiseok kind of wanted to listen to her talk forever.
“Oh, I, uh. Yes I do. Wait, what do you mean too?” The girl nodded politely.
“I play guitar as well, and-“ Jiseok’s eyes lit up and she inched closer, one hand grabbing the girl’s and rambling on in excitement, not noticing the blush creeping up the other’s face as she looked down at their hands before looking up at Jiseok again.
“You do? I always wondered why you were carrying around that guitar case! Because, you know, you don’t see a lot of people around here play guitar. What kind do you have?” Jiseok then realized just what she’d been doing (grabbing the hands of a girl she couldn’t even talk to before and rambling at her), letting go and taking a step back, laughing sheepishly.
“Ah, sorry. Got a bit too excited there.” The girl looked down at her hands again, eyes wide, before her face broke into a smile, eyes crinkling as she locked eyes with Jiseok again.
“Don’t worry about it! I’m actually really happy to find out you play too.” Jiseok tapped her chin in thought, gesturing for the girl to sit down on Jooyeon’s abandoned bar stool.
“Speaking of, how did you know? I don’t have a case with me or anything.” The girl’s blush deepened and she averted her eyes again, hands fiddling with her cardigan’s cuffs.
“My friend told me. Seungmin, you know her? Said one of your friends mentioned it while-“ she got even redder, coughing once before looking down at her fingers.
“-while talking. Anyway, uh-“ Jiseok definitely wanted to know why the hell Seungmin would be talking to one of her friends (and more importantly, if that friend was Jooyeon), but right now, she had more important matters to attend to.
Like-
“I never caught your name I think. I’m Jiseok.” She tried to say as casually as possible, leaning on the bar for good measure, wincing when she felt her elbow touch the sticky surface.
“Oh, right. I’m Hyeongjun.” The girl replied, slight smile on her face.
Jiseok couldn’t help but smile back at Hyeongjun, who still didn’t look up, eyes now focused on Jiseok’s tie apparently. Jiseok pinched it between her fingers, lifting it with a proud grin.
“You like it?” Hyeongjun, embarrassed that she was caught staring, just nodded instead of replying, but that was good enough for Jiseok.
“I made it myself, look.” She presented it to Hyeongjun who inched closer, eyes curiously wandering over the patches and pins Jiseok had put in the tie, all the while its owner proudly bragged about how she’d used all kinds of old fabric to make it.
“It’s really pretty.” Hyeongjun whispered, Jiseok huffing at the comment, but her ears still turned red at the praise.
“It’s not pretty! It’s super, like, punk. And-“ Hyeongjun looked up from where she was investigating the tie and Jiseok’s breath hitched, Hyeongjun’s eyes looking at her from below, lips stretched into the slightest smile. She was absolutely breathtaking from this angle, no hair obscuring her face, nose straight and pretty leading down to her glistening lips. Jiseok swallowed hard, forgetting what she’d wanted to say.
“It’s punk and?” Hyeongjun asked quietly, amused smile never leaving her lips as Jiseok stuttered out an answer, unable to take her eyes off of Hyeongjun.
“-and, well, like. Cool. And stuff. It’s, you know, rebelling against the system, all that jazz, I mean, punk, uh-“ the more she talked, the worse it got and when Hyeongjun straightened up and giggled in amusement Jiseok groaned, closing her eyes and letting her head fall down on her forearms.
“Well, I think you’re really cool. And punk, for that matter.” Hyeongjun said casually, Jiseok’s head snapping back up as she stared at the other with wide eyes, blood rushing to her face.
“Y-you do?” Hyeongjun nodded and Jiseok felt her heart skip a beat.
“I always wanted to talk to you because I thought your style was really cool. But I was a little scared, because you guys always hang around the skatepark, and it’s so loud there. But then you kept staring at me, which confused me.” Jiseok winced, remembering the painfully awkward moments when she’d been caught, one hand coming up to scratch her head in embarrassment.
“Yeah, sorry about that.” She replied, Hyeongjun shaking her head with a small smile.
“...it was because of the guitar case, you know. I was just curious.” She lied, Hyeongjun humming and apparently buying it more than Jooyeon would’ve.
It was only then Jiseok’s mind processed what the other had said and she did a double take.
“You think my style is cool?” Hyeongjun nodded, her eyes wandering over Jiseok’s figure and she suddenly felt a bit self conscious. She was dressed like usual, her favourite baggy pants which she’d already put a few patches on, a white tank top, the diy tie she always wore and of course a whole bunch of bracelets and leather cuffs.
“Yeah, I think it’s pretty.” Hyeongjun said after a while, Jiseok having died a million deaths during the time the other was silent.
“...I mean, punk.” She corrected herself, Jiseok laughing and relaxing a bit, turning to her forgotten drink and taking another sip.
“Thanks, then. You are too. Pretty, I mean.” She said, turning to Hyeongjun who froze up, ears turning red as she stared at Jiseok with wide eyes. Jiseok didn’t know where the sudden confidence had come from but she just smiled at Hyeongjun, deliberately taking her time checking out her outfit, heart beating fast in her chest.
Hyeongjun was wearing a long white lace skirt, paired with a simple t shirt and a hoodie, dark combat boots peeking out from underneath the skirt’s hem. If Jiseok thought about it, the other’s style was kind of punk too.
“You think I’m pretty?” Hyeongjun asked quietly, Jiseok’s eyes snapping back up to her face, making eye contact and blinking a few times. Just looking at Hyeongjun made her feel like she’d just run a marathon, the other’s droopy dark eyes captivating her, a question written behind them that Jiseok was more than willing to answer.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you for multiple days the first time I saw you, so yes. I do.” She didn’t know why she confessed to this in front of Hyeongjun, given this was usually something she’d take to the grave. But it was worth it for Hyeongjun’s reaction, her eyes widening at Jiseok’s words and her mouth parting to let out a little “Ah!”, tinted lips revealing her teeth and Jiseok wanted to kiss her so badly. When her eyes looked up from Hyeongjun’s lips, the others were still focused on Jiseok’s own, and Jiseok tentatively darted her tongue out to wet them, Hyeongjun’s breath hitching at the movement. Jiseok counted to ten internally, willing her beating heart to calm down before she-
“Jiseokie! There you are, come on, the show will start soon!” Jooyeon slapped her on her shoulders, making her flinch, Hyeongjun turning away with a red face to stare down at her hands again. Jiseok closed her eyes to calm herself down before turning around and glaring at Jooyeon. The other girl seemingly didn’t get the hint as she patted Jiseok’s shoulder again, grabbing at her to make her stand up.
“Come on, we need to get to the front! They’re already setting up!~” It was then Jiseok noticed how out of breath Jooyeon was, as well as a suspicious red mark on her neck. She furrowed her brows, about to say something, when Hyeongjun stood up as well.
“Are you guys here for the band too? Let’s watch them together.” She suggested quietly, Jooyeon loudly agreeing and taking both of them by their shoulders, pushing them through the crowd all the while loudly talking and laughing about god knows what.
“Jiseokie, I don’t know how you managed this, but congratulations.” When they arrived at a good place to watch the band, Jooyeon whisper-yelled into Jiseok’s ear, making her roll her eyes and shove Jooyeon away, who just giggled before disappearing again.
“Sorry about her, she’s a bit drunk already.” She turned to Hyeongjun with an apologetic smile, the other just shaking her head and gesturing it was fine.
“She’s nice.” She said instead, Jiseok snorting at that.
“Sure.” Hyeongjun’s eyes twinkled when she leaned in, her hot breath ghosting over Jiseok’s ear a little distracting. Jiseok had to use all her willpower to focus on the words the other was whispering into her ear.
“Did you know Seungminnie has had a giant crush on her since forever? When she asked her for a lighter last week, it was because she lost a bet.” Jiseok’s eyes widened at the information and she looked at Hyeongjun in shock who just nodded, hand coming up to cover her grin.
“Don’t tell her I told you.” She then said, Jiseok nodding eagerly before mimicking zipping her mouth shut, making Hyeongjun laugh. Her eyes crinkled again, closing a little with joy and her eyebrows danced on her face, lips stretched into a wide grin making cute little dimples appear around her nose and Jiseok was mesmerized.
As the band started to play (Jooyeon had come back, another drink in hand, completely focused now that the music was about to start), Jiseok suddenly felt a burst of courage overcome her and she let her arm relax, her hand falling down and fingers brushing against Hyeongjun’s. The other girl flinched, looking at Jiseok who stared straight ahead, but the smile on her face gave her away, stretching only wider when shy fingers intertwined with hers, Hyeongjun’s hand warm and comforting. They held hands for the entire show, only separating when it was time to clap, blush dusting both of their faces.
After the show, Hyeongjun lingered around near the band, waiting for a friend. Jooyeon had already left again, so Jiseok awkwardly stood at the bar for a bit, before taking a deep breath and walking over to the other girl, tapping her on the shoulder.
Hyeongjun turned around, wide eyes relaxing when she saw it was Jiseok.
“Hi.” She said shyly, slight smile on her lips and Jiseok couldn’t help but smile back.
“Hey.” She scratched her head sheepishly, looking around at the people slowly leaving.
“So, uh...Jooyeon left already to god knows where, so-“ she didn’t know where she was going with this. All she knew was that she didn’t want to go without at least getting Hyeongjun’s number, or kakaotalk, or email address for god’s sake.
“Oh.” Hyeongjun nodded, pouting as she seemed to be in deep thought. Her eyelashes fluttered whenever she blinked, casting pretty shadows on her cheeks in the dim light of the bar and it made Jiseok’s heart beat faster.
“Well, my friend will probably be here soon-“ Hyeongjun started and Jiseok closed her eyes, preparing for a gentle but firm rejection. Of course, why would she stay with Hyeongjun? She didn’t even know the others friend.
“-so why don’t we wait together?” Jiseok snapped her eyes open, staring at Hyeongjun in surprise, the other girl simply smiling and patting the seat next to her.
“Yes! Uhm, I mean, yes, that’s a good idea.” Jiseok’s ears were burning as she sat down next to the other, internally cursing herself. They were holding hands for the entire show, why the hell was she so awkward now?
She sat down next to Hyeongjun, playing with the hem of her shirt, peeking up at the other every now and then to see if she was looking back.
“You know, I can see your head move.” Hyeongjun said casually after Jiseok had peeked up for the fourth time, making Jiseok choke and groan, burying her head in her hands.
“I’m sorry.” She mumbled, already trying to come to terms with the fact that Hyeongjun probably thought she was a weirdo.
“I just...well, I think you’re really pretty, and I like your face, and well, looking at it. But not in a creepy way! I just think it’s, uhm, you’re pretty and-“ she cut herself off, closing her eyes and cringing. She just kept on making it worse with every word. Her head shot up when she heard a soft giggle from the person next to her and when she looked at Hyeongjun, the other had a hand in front of her mouth, eyes crinkling as she laughed quietly.
The lights of the stage were reflecting in her eyes as she turned to Jiseok, making them twinkle like stars and Jiseok gulped, stomach fluttering.
“I’ve never met anyone like you before.” Hyeongjun said with an amused tone, the hand from her face coming down to take one of Jiseok’s, her eyes widening as she looked down at the other’s hand that softly encased her own.
“So, when are you gonna ask for my number?” She continued, giggling when Jiseok almost dropped her phone with how fast she pulled it out of her pocket, her hand never leaving Jiseok’s as she typed in her contact details with the other.
Flipping the phone shut, she put it in Jiseok’s hand, hers warm as it lingered on top of the phone. Her eyes were set on Jiseok’s who couldn’t do anything but stare back, heart beating incredibly fast and stomach fluttering. She closed her eyes for a bit to calm down, working up the courage to squeeze Hyeongjun’s hand once before opening them again and smiling at the other girl.
“I’ll text you, then. We can meet up to play together sometime.” Hyeongjun smiled at that, cheeks flushing ever so slightly as she squeezed Jiseok’s hand back, nodding in reply.
“Alright, and the- Hyeongjun!” A voice sounded from behind them and Jiseok panicked, about to drop Hyeongjun’s hand but the other girl kept her grip, instead turning around and waving with her free hand. Jiseok stared down at their intertwined hands, feeling her entire face burn crimson red as Hyeongjun’s friend came closer, now obviously spotting their hands.
“Sorry it took so long, we were looking for one of our cables. You ready to go?” Hyeongjun nodded, turning around to look at Jiseok once more, bright smile showcasing her bunny teeth and making Jiseok’s stomach do a flip.
“I have to go. I’ll wait for your text!” Jiseok nodded, unable to form words as Hyeongjun stood up and in the last moment, let go of Jiseok’s hand. She stared after Hyeongjun as she left the bar, still sat in the chair, blinking slowly as her brain finally processed what had just happened.
When it did she let out a squeal, kicking her feet and pressing her phone to her chest, her heartbeat going miles per minute. Her eyes widened and she hastily opened her phone, going through her contacts until she found one named “Hyeongjunie <3” her heart skipping a beat at the heart the other had added to her name. She excitedly typed a message, fingertips almost slipping off the keys in their haste. Sending it, she shut her phone and sighed once, unable to stop a dumb grin from spreading on her face.
To: Hyeongjunie <3
Hey, this is Jiseok. J hope you get home safe!!! Good night <3
“And this is wh- hey, quit dozing off? Didn’t you get any sleep last night?!” Jiseok blinked blearily, turning towards where she guessed Jooyeon’s voice was coming from.
Getting a punch in the shoulder from the same direction, she supposed she had guessed right.
“Earth to Jiseok! I’m telling you about my incredibly important invention right now, and you’re zoning out?” Jiseok replied with a yawn, shaking her head half-heartedly before leaning back on her arms, letting her gaze wander over the skatepark.
To be fair, she hadn’t gotten a whole lot of sleep last night, which was partly her fault and partly the fault of Hyeongjun’s good night text, which made Jiseok giggle like a maniac and lie awake until 4am, where she kept on rereading it and smiling until she fell asleep with her phone pressed to her chest.
Jooyeon didn’t need to know about that though (Jiseok would never hear the end of it), so she just shrugged, blowing a stray hair out of her face, closing her eyes and turning towards the warm rays of the sun.
Jooyeon and her had decided to not attend class, due to unforeseen circumstances (they realized on the way that they didn’t want to go), instead lingering around near the skatepark, which was still nice and empty. Jooyeon had been telling her about an invention of hers for the latter part of an hour, and here they were.
Jiseok shook her head again to try and control her hair flying around it in wild strands (she hadn’t bothered brushing it, thus making her look like she exploded a little bit), eyes still closed and taking in the sunlight until a shadow moved over her eyes, making the comforting warmth hitting her skin disappear.
She frowned, guessing Jooyeon had put a notebook in front of her face to prank her, moving a bit to the side. Just as she sighed in contentment at the warm rays hitting her face again, the shadow moved with, bathing her in coldness once more.
She groaned in annoyance, opening her eyes to tell Jooyeon to cut it out (the other had stopped talking too), when she froze.
What was bathing her in shadow was the silhouette of another person, standing in front of her and looking down with an amused grin, the corners of her mouth perked up.
The hair falling around her face wasn’t dirty blonde like Jooyeon’s, though, instead it fell in shiny, black waves, making Jiseok’s face burn as she realized who was standing there.
“Hi.” Hyeongjun said with a grin that only widened as the realisation must’ve shown on Jiseok’s face, Jiseok scrambling to get up, running a hand through her hair to try and look a little more presentable.
“Hi! Uhm, nice to see you.” Jiseok said, only now noticing that without her thick soled combat boots Hyeongjun was, in fact, a few centimetres taller than her. She didn’t know how to feel about that.
“Hope I didn’t interrupt your conversation.” Hyeongjun continued, amused tone never leaving her voice as Jiseok spared a look down at Jooyeon who was glancing back and forth at Hyeongjun and Jiseok, eyes wide and mouth open.
“Noo, no don’t worry about it. We were just-“ Jiseok’s eyes widened, looking at Hyeongjun in confusion.
“Wait, what are you doing here? Don’t you have class right now?” Hyeongjun shrugged, playing with the straps of her backpack.
“I’m skipping.” Jiseok raised an eyebrow, making Hyeongjun giggle, the sound immediately setting off butterflies in the other girl’s stomach. Making Hyeongjun laugh always felt like winning the world cup.
“Why are you judging? You’re skipping too.” Jiseok opened her mouth to defend herself before closing it again, supposing the other had a point. She just shrugged, trying to play it cool and like her heart wasn’t going at erratic speeds just because the other girl was talking to her.
“So, what’s up?” She tried to say casually, wanting to sink into the ground a little when her voice cracked a bit. Hyeongjun suddenly averted her eyes, shifting on the spot and as Jiseok squinted, there was a slight blush dusting her cheeks.
“Uh, I wanted to ask if we could talk. I mean, uhm...” Her gaze trailed off before looking at Jooyeon (who was still watching them with interest) for a second, Jiseok understanding.
“Oh, yeah, of course. Let’s go over there.” Jiseok pointed towards one of the bigger skate ramps and started walking, Hyeongjun trailing behind her, oddly quiet now.
They arrived behind it, Jiseok leaning against the concrete wall, Hyeongjun following suit, both of them staring out at the grass next to the skate park.
“So, what did you wanna talk about?” Jiseok asked, turning to look at Hyeongjun after getting no answer. The other girl was looking at the ground, fingers playing with the hem of her shirt, red ears peeking out from in-between her black hair.
She was wearing an oversized hoodie today, along with another long skirt, paired with a pair of scuffed shoes. There were a few pendants dangling on her necklace and when Jiseok fixated on her face again, she noticed the red lip tint again, smiling unconsciously.
“Hyeongjun?” She still hadn’t gotten an answer, so she pushed herself off the concrete wall and stood in front of the other, curiously tilting her head while trying to make eye contact. Hyeongjun only avoided her stare, the fiddling with her shirt getting more intense as Jiseok stood in front of her, her cheeks now equally as red as her ears.
“I...” She started quietly, Jiseok taking a step closer to hear her more clearly, but the action made Hyeongjun gasp softly, eyes widening at their sudden proximity.
“Hm?” Jiseok didn’t know where her sudden courage came from when she stepped closer, but she remained calm, at least on the outside. Internally she was screaming and giggling, heart beating against her ribcage.
“I just wanted to see you again.” Hyeongjun at least got out, swallowing after saying it and head sinking further down. Jiseok’s eyes widened at the other’s words, fluttering in her stomach spreading through her whole body and she couldn’t help the grin on her face growing wider, her own cheeks reddening as well.
“Really?” Hyeongjun squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment, Jiseok finding the other incredibly adorable when teased. She decided to stop, though, not wanting to push Hyeongjun too far.
“Me too.” She confessed, her soft tone making Hyeongjun look up, their eyes locking. Hyeongjun’s brown eyes were wide, shaking a little as they stared at her, the dust of red on her cheeks complimenting the red tint on her lips that were opened slightly, the quick puffs of breath coming out revealing how nervous the girl was.
“I wanted to see you too.” Jiseok continued, voice having dropped down to a whisper, soft smile on her face as she studied Hyeongjun’s, from her beauty mark next to her eye to her sharp but pretty nose, her lips shapely but soft making Jiseok take in a deep breath. It had gone quiet around them, their environment blurring and sounds slowly fading. The only thing Jiseok could hear were Hyeongjun’s soft breaths and her own pounding heart.
“Hyeongjun, I want to-“ Jiseok cut herself off, unsure how to say what she wanted to say. Hyeongjun nodded encouragingly, one hand coming up to ghost over Jiseok’s, Jiseok immediately taking it, intertwining their fingers, the warmth of Hyeongjun’s hand burning against her own. She softly pushed their fingertips together, relishing in the feeling of the calluses in Hyeongjun’s hands brought upon by practicing the guitar, so similar to her own.
“I like you.” She whispered, Hyeongjun’s eyes widening and her breath hitching, hand shuddering in Jiseok’s grip.
“Be my girlfriend? Please?” The last words were but a whisper, and for a second Jiseok wasn’t sure Hyeongjun had heard her, but then the other girl smiled, smiled so wide it stretched her face and her eyes disappeared into wrinkles, a weight lifted off of Jiseok’s chest as she nodded quickly, dark waves bouncing around her head.
“Yes, I’d- i’d like that.” She looked down at their intertwined hands before locking eyes with Jiseok again and the look on her face was so fond, Jiseok felt like she was about to explode, too many feelings balling up in her chest. Hyeongjun’s eyes twinkled, lips stretched into a happy smile and Jiseok took a deep breath.
“Can I kiss you?” She asked, the words slurring in her mouth with how fast she shot them out. The smile dropped from Hyeongjun’s face, surprise painting her features before her eyes widened in realisation and she let out a small “Oh!”.
“...yes.” she then mumbled, eyes flitting about nervously, fingers fidgeting about in Jiseok’s hand and Jiseok couldn’t help but coo at how nervous the other had gotten.
“I haven’t even kissed you yet.” She said teasingly, the flush on Hyeongjun’s cheeks deepening, her lips scrunching up in a pout at being teased. She threw a quick glare at Jiseok, who grinned, before Hyeongjun’s next words made her choke on her laughter.
“So what are you waiting for?” Jiseok’s breath hitched and she gulped, feeling like the butterflies in her stomach were about to spill out of her throat.
Jiseok nodded, taking another step towards Hyeongjun who backed up, breath hitching as her back hit the concrete wall. She stared up at Jiseok with wide eyes and her flushed cheeks, glistening brown eyes and pretty red mouth made Jiseok bold, softly guiding their intertwined hands up until they were next to Hyeongjun’s shoulder, softly pushing until the back of Hyeongjun’s hand hit the wall as well.
As Jiseok closed in, she saw Hyeongjun’s eyes flutter shut and she couldn’t hold herself back any longer, finally connecting their lips, sighing and closing her eyes as the contact came at last.
Hyeongjun’s lips were soft, so soft, it made Jiseok shiver with want and adoration. They moved against Jiseok’s own shyly, warm and addicting, Jiseok applying a bit more pressure. She felt like she was drowning in Hyeongjun, the only thing she wanted to feel for the rest of her life being the other’s lips on her own.
Jiseok tilted her head a bit, Hyeongjun sighing in contentment at the shift in angle, their bodies pressed incredibly close. Jiseok could feel every movement of Hyeongjun’s, how her torso shifted and her hand squeezed Jiseok’s, unable to hide her true feelings. Jiseok pressed their bodies closer together, trying to close all distance between them. She wanted to sink into Hyeongjun, to never let go of the other, her free hand coming up to cup Hyeongjun’s chin and tilt her head, the small noise that left Hyeongjun’s mouth at the movement making Jiseok’s heart skip a beat.
Hyeongjun’s hand came up and landed on Jiseok’s waist, trying to pull her even closer. Jiseok could feel electricity shoot through her skin where Hyeongjun had touched her, every nerve in her body burning with the want for more, more of Hyeongjun.
She opened her mouth slightly, letting her tongue softly go over Hyeongjun’s lips, the other’s knees buckling at the action and Hyeongjun gasped, her grip on Jiseok’s waist tightening. Jiseok used the opportunity to slip her tongue into Hyeongjun’s mouth, suppressing a groan as Hyeongjun readily gave in, letting her lead the kiss and making a small noise as their tongues met.
She didn’t know how long they’d been kissing, every second feeling like hours, Jiseok never wanting to come down from the high that was the other girl. Hyeongjun arched her back off the wall, their torsos pressing closer together and Jiseok did groan this time, applying more pressure on Hyeongjun’s jaw and guiding her impossibly closer, Hyeongjun reciprocating with the same enthusiasm.
As air got short, they broke the kiss, both panting, faces flushed and shiny. Jiseok risked a look at Hyeongjun, her heart shattering and being rebuilt a thousand times over at the other’s glazed over eyes, fixated on Jiseok as her chest rose with laboured breaths, cheeks flushed and lips swollen and red from their kiss. Jiseok then decided that this was the best Hyeongjun had ever looked.
She imagined she looked no different, feeling as out of breath as Hyeongjun was. She leaned in again, pressing Hyeongjun against the wall and Hyeongjun audibly swallowed at the sensation of Jiseok’s body against her, her thighs shifting as she stared up at Jiseok with wide eyes, shining with unresolved tension.
Jiseok let her eyes wander over Hyeongjun’s face, her thumb coming up to stroke the other’s jaw. She was so incredibly beautiful, flushing and panting, and knowing Jiseok was the only one to see her like that, knowing it was Jiseok that got her in this state, made her heart swell with pride.
She dipped her head down to kiss Hyeongjun again, the other’s eyes fluttering shut and immediately accepting Jiseok back, her body stuttering as their tongues met once more, and-
“JISEOK!" Jiseok rolled her eyes before unwillingly breaking the kiss, eyes never leaving Hyeongjun’s face as she yelled back.
“BE THERE IN A SEC!” Hyeongjun giggled at the obvious annoyance on Jiseok’s face, tapping her nose once with a fond smile before standing up straight again, Jiseok regretfully letting go of Hyeongjun. She missed the warmth of her body the second they separated.
“Do I look okay?” She asked Hyeongjun who let her eyes wander up and down Jiseok’s body, blinking a few times, cheeks still flushed.
“If you mean you look like you just made out with someone, then yes.” Jiseok just shrugged, not that there was a point in trying to hide from Jooyeon.
She couldn’t help the grin that spread on her face when Hyeongjun intertwined their hands and smiled at her.
“Let’s go?” She nodded, pressing one last kiss to Hyeongjun’s lips before they started walking, the other blushing prettily at the gesture, hand squeezing Jiseok’s.
The butterflies in Jiseok’s stomach erupted all over again, making her grin dumbly. Having a girlfriend was the best.
“Oh my god, her fucking lipstick is all over you!” Jooyeon made a face when they emerged from behind the skate ramp, Jiseok throwing Jooyeon the finger and Hyeongjun holding a hand in front of her mouth as she giggled.
“It is? Good!” Jiseok yelled back at Jooyeon who stuck her tongue out at her friend before falling back on their blanket, announcing that she was going to take a nap so she wouldn’t have to witness them. Hyeongjun tugged at Jiseok’s sleeve, gesturing for her to lean in so she could whisper in her ear.
“Are you okay? With her knowing, and...” Her voice trailed off, suddenly unsure. Jiseok was quiet for a moment, looking down at their intertwined hands before raising them, fixating Hyeongjun.
“I would scream about this from the top of the school if you’d let me.” She said, completely serious, making Hyeongjun snort with laughter.
“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.” She replied and Jiseok grinned, relieved Hyeongjun wasn’t feeling down anymore. She pressed another quick kiss to her cheek (kissing Hyeongjun might have just become her favourite pastime) and squeezed their hands together in reassurance.
“My girlfriend.” She whispered, moreso to herself than to the other, but Hyeongjun heard her, cheeks flushing but she chuckled, nodding happily.
“Your girlfriend.”